Sony Tablet S follow-up to touch down before the end of the year

Sony's quirky Tablet P and Tablet S haven't exactly flopped, but Sony must surely have been hoping for more from its tablet duo. Then again, you can say that about most Android tablets.

Either way, Sony isn't taking it personally it seems, and has promised to give the tablet thing another go before the end of the year.

When rumours of the Tablet P and Tablet S first emerged more than a year ago now, we must admit we were more than a little excited. Finally one of the real tech heavyweights was weighing in with something more than just another iPad-clone, providing some much-needed variation to a tablet market that was far too narrow for its own good.

Yet ironically, while the twin-screen clamshell and folded-back-book form factor are certainly unique, when it comes to actual sales Sony's tablets have proved to be exactly what Sony was working so hard to avoid in the first place: forgettable.

So what does Sony have in mind for an encore? Something called the SGPT1211 – or at least that's the name it's going by in a new FCC filing that popped up across the pond a week or so ago. The name may not be giving too much away, but the details of the filing make it clear that the new model is a follow up to the single-screened Tablet S – the more conventional of the existing double act.

Now PC Advisor says a Sony representative has confirmed the company will indeed be launching a new tablet model, just in time to take advantage of the holiday season spending spree.

Further details are thin on the ground right now, but probably the biggest question is whether Sony will stick solely with Android for its forthcoming tablet offerings, or has plans to dip its toe in Windows 8 waters too.